Nigeria has been in a tough situation for some time and faces a reckoning. Gory stories of insecurity from across and around the country makes this very clear.
A soldier made headlines recently when he made allegations on social media concerning the management of the war effort, and the state of morale among the troops deployed to tackle the insurgency in he North East.
He was according to news reports, along with his wife, detained shortly afterwards by the authorities and most likely may face severe disciplinary action.
The soldier may have violated military law when he aired his grievances about his commanding officers in social media and probably could have chosen to channel his grievances in accordance with military regulations in line with his profession. It is not clear if the proper channel exist and is available for him to air his grievances.
But beyond this possible act of misconduct by the soldier, is the situation he described in regards to the prosecution of the war effort, in conformity with the vision, direction, aims, and objectives of the military leadership and in the best interest of Nigeria? Going by the daily loss of Nigerian lives, it can be debated that this is not the case.
One can therefore ask again, perhaps rhetorically, whether it is more beneficial that the focus of leadership should be on a single soldier’s act of possible misconduct, or whether that focus should be forensically directed at the conduct of the leadership itself in managing the insurgency, and at the general state of readiness to fulfill the constitutional mandate of protecting the nation?
The allegations raised are frankly not new but remain germane and as the days go by, and with every loss of Nigerian lives, becomes more troubling.
In fact, these allegations are discussed quite frequently but off the record by many concerned about the seeming intractability of this particular conflict, and a disturbing perception about accountability challenges in its management.
This issue goes far beyond the relevance of a single individual or group within a system. The situation is actually more existential than it is political. It concerns the lives of millions of Nigerians.
This is more about the system’s reliability, availability and capacity to deliver on its mandate without permitting self inflicted obstacles.
The question is can the military leadership guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria when some of it’s troops are seemingly demoralized, and are no longer afraid to air their grievances openly, by-passing grievance mechanisms that they are sworn to observe?
Without ascribing this conduct to the soldier in question, we can’t in good conscience, condone or encourage mutiny or insubordination as this behavior is just as damaging to our national security as the alleged poor state of readiness and misconduct alleged by the soldier.
In the best of times we would rely on the hierarchical discipline that the command and control structure of military leadership would exercise knowing that the subordination of the rank and file is key to military effectiveness and success.
This discipline includes leading with honour and integrity and leading the right way, setting an example always, and engaging in military best practices.
It is clear that the conduct of this particular soldier, in criticizing his superiors in social media, is the direct result of the problems of the Nigerian system and the environment that he serves in. This situation deserves to be handled with care, painfully, it is now clear that military leadership must accept responsibility for this situation.
Frightfully, there may be more soldiers like him within the ranks, poorly motivated and demoralized, and this is of a grave concern for our national security.
The military leadership must however take care of its own, whether it is an aggrieved soldier, or a broken system. In so doing, they must ensure that he is given fair trial and due process. He put his life on the line fighting for Nigeria, he deserves the protections afforded him in the constitution.
Ogie Kio is the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria For Democracy
